** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** HAZELNUT BREEDING EFFORTS IN THE EASTERN U.S. HAVE BEEN LED BY RUTGERS UNIVERSITY IN COLLABORATION WITH OSU FOR OVER 25 YEARS WITH MORE RECENT COLLABORATION WITH THE HYBRID HAZELNUT CONSORTIUM PARTNERS THAT INCLUDE THE UNIVERSITIES OF MISSOURI AND NEBRASKA AND THE ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION. FROM THESE EFFORTS NEW EASTERN-ADAPTED CULTIVAR RELEASES ARE OPENING NEW, LARGE REGIONS TO CULTIVATION, POSITIONING THE U.S. TO BECOME A GLOBAL LEADER IN THE HAZELNUT INDUSTRY.THE PRIMARY LIMITING FACTOR TO HAZELNUT PRODUCTION IN NORTH AMERICA IS THE STEM CANKER DISEASE EFB; THE CULTIVATED EUROPEAN HAZELNUT, CORYLUS AVELLANA, IS IN GENERAL HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE CAUSAL FUNGAL PATHOGEN, ANISOGRAMMA ANOMALA, WHERE SYSTEMIC PERENNIAL CANKER SPREAD LEADS TO FATAL STEM DIEBACK.SELECTION WITHIN THE BREEDING PROGRAMS OCCURUNDER HIGH EFB PRESSURE AND SEEKS TO IDENTIFY EASTERN-ADAPTED INDIVIDUALS EXPRESSING EFB-RESISTANCE AND THE HIGH KERNEL QUALITY EXPECTED BY MARKETS, WHICH INCLUDES ROUND KERNELS FREE FROM DEFECTS THAT ARE 10-12 MM IN DIAMETER, A PELLICLE THAT REMOVES EASILY AFTER ROASTING,AND EXCELLENT FLAVOR THAT SUPPORTS FRESH MARKETS AS WELL AS ROASTED KERNELS, WHICH ARE USED IN VARIOUS CONFECTIONARY PRODUCTS.THE FIRST SET OF CULTIVARS MEETING THESE GOALS HAVE BEEN RELEASED, INCLUDING C. AVELLANA 'RARITAN', C. AVELLANA 'SOMERSET', AND C. AVELLANA &TIMES; C. AMERICANA 'OSU 541.147' THE BEAST. HOWEVER, CHALLENGES REGARDING THE RELEASE OF LONG JUVENILITY CROPS LIKE HAZELNUTALLOWED FOR MAJOR GAPS IN THE CURRENT SLATE OF CULTIVARS AVAILABLE FROM NURSERIES.ADDITIONAL CULTIVARS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED TO ADD CLIMATE AND REGIONAL RESILIENCY TO THE NEW EASTERN ORCHARDS, INCLUDING A MUCH MORE SUBSTANTIAL AND COMPATIBLE POLLEN CLOUD. FORTUNATELY, A DEEP PIPELINE OF LATE-STAGE BREEDING SELECTIONS NOW EXISTS AND HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN MISSOURI AND NEW JERSEY. THEIR FINAL EVALUATION AND SUBSEQUENT RELEASE ARE EXPECTED TO DRIVE: 1) EXPANSION OF THE CULTIVATION RANGE OF HAZELNUT, WHILE 2) DIVERSIFYING RESISTANCE TO EFB, AND 3) PROVIDING PRODUCTION CULTIVARS AND POLLINIZERS WITH COLD HARDY CATKINS, APPROPRIATE BLOOM PHENOLOGY, AND SELF-INCOMPATIBILITY (S) ALLELES THAT ARE WIDELY CULTIVAR COMPATIBLE. THE OVERRIDING GOAL OF THIS PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO EXPEDITE THE DELIVERY OF DIVERSE, REGIONALLY ADAPTED SETS OF HIGH-YIELDING HAZELNUT CULTIVARS THAT HAVE EXCELLENT KERNEL QUALITY, MEETING CONFECTIONARY MARKET STANDARDS, BY: 1) COORDINATING AND BOLSTERING REPLICATED TRIAL EVALUATIONS AND CONCURRENTLY; 2) PRIMING THE NURSERY SUPPLY CHAIN WITH COMMERCIAL SCALE LAYER BEDS THAT SHORTEN THE TIMELINE FROM SELECTION TRIALING TO COMMERCIAL SCALE PLANTING; AND 3) PROVIDING OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES AND MATERIALS TO GUIDE ADOPTION. DEDICATED BREEDING PROGRAMS AFFORD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADD RESILIENCY TO DEVELOPING INDUSTRIES THROUGH STRATEGIC GERMPLASM DIVERSIFICATIONAND IN THIS INSTANCEWILL BRING A NEW HIGH-VALUE, LOW-INPUT PERENNIAL CROP OPTION TO GROWERS ACROSS A BROAD GEOGRAP,HY IN THE EASTERN U.S.